1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for switching electrical connectivity of objects, and in particular to an apparatus and method for switching connectivity of objects in order to respectively collect information on the objects.
2. Background of the Invention
Heat sinking is a very important task provided for high-speed integrated electronic apparatuses. If an electronic apparatus does not have an adequate heat sinking system, it is prone to malfunction or even break down altogether. Providing accurate control of components involved in heat sinking is one solution for improving the performance and reliability of the electronic apparatus. In the current electronics market, there are some integrated circuits (ICs) available that can sense the speed of rotation of a fan in a heat sinking system for an electronic apparatus. By analysis of the rotation speed using corresponding software, users can obtain information on whether the fan is operating within normal parameters. Taiwan Patent Issue No. 412012 discloses an apparatus for sensing a speed of rotation of a heat sink fan. The apparatus is mounted on a power circuit of a motor of the heat sink fan. The apparatus includes a resistance disposed on a ground line of the power circuit of the motor, the resistance being coupled to a diode. The diode is electronically connected to a capacitor, which in turn is linked to an input end of a comparator. When the motor is started up, an intermittent pulse current enters the motor, passes through the resistance, and generates an intermittent voltage. The intermittent voltage is input into the comparator by way of the diode and the capacitor. Thereupon, the comparator outputs a frequency pulse to the apparatus. The apparatus can obtain the rotate speed of the motor based on a change of the frequency pulse.
In other electronic systems, there may be a plurality of fans employed in a heat sinking system. One such electronic system is illustrated in FIG. 4. Each of fans 1 is electronically connected to a primary control board 2 via a sensing line 3. In this way, the primary control board 2 can obtain information on rotation speeds of the fans 1. When the number of fans 1 is large, a number of the sensing lines 3 is correspondingly large. If the number of sensing lines 3 is particularly large, the area of the primary control board 2 needs to be correspondingly broad. Alternatively, the distance between any two of the sensing lines 3 needs to be reduced. A large primary control board 2 militates against the modern trend toward miniaturization of electronic devices. If the sensing lines 3 are too close together, signals carried therein are prone to crosstalk. If the signal quality of the sensing lines 3 is reduced, this may adversely affect the electronic control and the performance of the heat sinking system.
In view of the above-described shortcomings, an apparatus and method is needed for conveniently and reliably sensing rotation speeds of fans in a multi-fan heat sinking system.